Category: design

a love letter to weddings

wedding planning montreal

Like most of you, this slower period of life has allowed me to pause, evaluate and reflect. I’ve been thinking a lot about the word purpose and how it drives our daily lives, our actions and our thoughts.

A few months ago, pre-global pandemic, I read a very insightful book called “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” by Priya Parker. For anyone who organizes gatherings, be it book clubs, meetings, weddings, conferences, I highly recommend this book – now more than ever.

Since then, and given the current situation, I’ve thought a lot about the purpose of weddings. At the surface, a wedding is generally comprised of a pretty table design, some beautiful flowers, great food & drinks and amazing music. Some pessimists argue that weddings are merely expensive parties.

However, the purpose of a wedding runs much deeper than that. It’s a celebration of LOVE. It’s about bringing people together to honour the fact that two people have decided to commit to each other, to live life hand in hand and to face both the challenges and the happy times as a unit. As a wedding planner, I’m in the business of bringing people together to celebrate the commitment. That is the core of my purpose. At le wedding mill, we have always valued that celebration, that honouring of love as the most important part of the wedding.  In order to create a meaningful and memorable day for our couples and their guests, we enhance the experience with the use of decor, music, food, etc., but those are merely tools – the essence of the celebration is the commitment, the love.

The wedding industry’s mission is essentially the opposite of physical distancing. It’s an industry that brings people together, with the common purpose of celebrating a couple’s commitment. Like so many industries, we’ve been impacted in a big way by the global pandemic. It’s been devastating, but I’m also hopeful that (cheesiness alert) love will prevail. As the wise Emilie of Emilie Olson Photography once said to me: “As long as you get to marry your best friend, your day is complete”.

To all the couples facing postponement and/or rethinking their initial wedding plans, remember that whether your wedding takes place on the originally planned date or later, in front of 150 people or just an officiant, you’ve found your person and that’s what matters. 

As for us at le wedding mill, we are romantics at heart and can’t wait to see you walk down the aisle, exchange your vows, dance up a storm with your loved ones and celebrate your love. 

5 creative seating charts to wow your guests

At le wedding mill, we pride ourselves on the fact that our designs always consider both form and function. We believe that a wedding should be beautiful but never compromise the comfort of your guests.

One of our favorite wedding day details is the seating chart. As wedding designers, we l-o-v-e coming up with creative ways to guide the guests to their table, while using the opportunity to incorporate the theme or style of the event. Here are some of our most memorable seating charts that prove that this design element is anything but boring.

1. Calligraphy on an Oversized Mirror

Wedding Style: Chic – Elegant

This show-stopping seating chart was created by the talented Jodi of Someday Art Co.. It was a labor-intensive job, but the result made a big statement as guests entered the space.

Photo by Emilie Olson Photography

2. Place Cards on a Frame

Wedding Style: Refined Rustic – Relaxed Elegance

This seating chart was all about combining form and function. Instead of having the place cards on a table and run the risk of them blowing away due to the outdoor setting, we built a custom frame and secured each place card with luxury velvet ribbon. The first card on each ribbon included the wedding’s signature wax seal and the letters of the alphabet to help guests find their tables with ease.

Photos by Emilie Olson Photography – Place Card Design by Pixelcouture

3. Floating Seating Chart

Wedding Style: Clean – Modern

True to the overall design of the wedding, this seating chart was clean and modern. We custom built a white display and hung an oversized lucite piece with chic ribbon (can you tell we have a thing for ribbon?). One card per table was carefully affixed to the lucite to appear as though the chart was floating.

Photo by Emilie Olson Photography – Table Card Design by le wedding mill

4. Luggage Tag Place Cards

Wedding Style: Elegant

This luggage tag seating chart was the perfect way to guide guests to their seats and ensure that they all received their favour, which was a custom luggage tag. We tied the place card to each tag (again, we love ribbon) and secured the tag to custom-made linen boards with pearl-tipped pins. As guests arrived, one of our lovely coordinators assisted guests with removing their tags.

Photo by Lisa Renault Photographie – Place Card Design by Pixelcouture

5. Window Panes

Wedding Style: Rustic – Chic

For this rustic chic wedding, we printed the seating chart on our white vintage window panes. To balance the vintage/rustic feel of the windows, we opted for chic, elegant fonts for their tables and names.

Photo by Lindsay Kennell

On that note

The seating chart is one of many details to consider for your wedding. We encourage you to think outside of the box and use a seating chart that serves as a guide for guests to find their seats and an additional design element.

a modern twist on a classic design

I love unexpected pairings of colours, textures and/or styles. They are a beautiful way to create visual interest when designing a wedding. I collaborated with a dream team of creative partners to redefine the classic all-white tablescape with simple modern touches.

Inspired by the wintery surroundings of the venue, I was really keen on creating a monochromatic canvas. We used all white elements with hints of glass and silver. This allowed the varying textures and greenery of the centrepieces to stand out in a big way.

The natural light of the incredible space bounced off the glass elements, from the candles to the charger plates to the chairs. The result is a fresh, light and airy design – and proof that classic can be fun too!

The best part of this shoot was to witness every collaborator’s interpretation of the theme – and how lovely it all came together.

The Creative Team:

On that note

When you think about the design of your wedding, don’t be shy to mix it up a little! For example, do you love the rustic look? Why not add chic elements (think chandeliers, calligraphy) for an unexpected twist? Most importantly, remember to have some fun with it!